Mad Cap: "For Those Who Think Young"

Left to right: Jon Hamm and January Jones

Welcome to Mad Cap: a daily rundown of every episode of the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men. During this time, I will be compiling my thoughts and highlights as we travel through every moment and season of the Emmy-award winning drama that has come to define modern TV. The goal is to be a refresher on every moment for Don Draper and his band of advertisement executives leading up to the final season. Stay for all of the shocking moments and the brilliant acting performances, and make sure to chime in with your thoughts and criticisms on why the show means something to you.

Season 2, Episode 1
"For Those Who Think Young"

"You are the product. You feeling something. 

That's what sells. Not them. Not sex. They 

can't do what we do. And they hate us for it."

- Don Draper (Jon Hamm)

Plot:

It's Valentine's Day and everything is going hunky dory. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) goes out on a date with Betty Draper (January Jones), though they fail to capture intimacy. The next day, Betty goes out with her friend and ends up with a broken car on the ride home. Don tries his best to improve an account of a regional airplane company with Herman "Duck" Philips (Mark Moses). Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) intimidates Don's new assistant Lois Sadler (Crista Flanagan), who seeks help from Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks). Peggy is also being accused of sleeping with Don due to her pregnancy from last season. The office also gets new technology such as printers and scanners installed to a curiously excited group. Betty eventually gets help from a man who makes her feel uncomfortable. Don convinces Peggy that it is all about convincing the seller that you are better than them. As Betty gets home, she notices that Don is happy as he retires to read a book about trying to stay focused under stress.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Hamm

MVP:

Don Draper (Jon Hamm)

Packed with confidence and swagger, Don continues to preach the wisdom that has made him a great salesman. He knows how to speak to buyers because he thinks youthfully and tries to make something enviable. Meanwhile, he is falling apart physically as his wife continues to grow dissatisfied and his physical proves that he may be pushing some dangerous habits a little hard. If nothing else, Hamm has also proven to be an excellent master of the monologue. His cadence and delivery has only improved and adds a new depth to his character being more complex and layered. He tries to sell his customers as well as us the audience on his confidence. Who knows how true it all is. He must remain young and vital, though it proves to be conflicting as the times change and new technology and employees clear out the old ones.

Best Scene

It was an episode all about appealing to the young audiences. That is what marketing is according to the Sterling Cooper ethos. His wife is attractive and he needs to make an average plane trip look appealing. He has a lot to do and nobody really can help him. He turns to a book that has advice on how to stay calm, which gives us a look into his personal psyche and how he handles situations such as the one that has been present for most of the episode. In the final moments, after everything has happened to his wife and business, he reads aloud the meditations that give him a focused mindset on how to achieve something greater in life. It fits perfectly into the theme of the episode and sets up a nice start to the second season of the series that blindsided the viewer with what was initially seen as a dull business show and turned it into a wealthy character drama of amazing proportions.

UP NEXT: "Flight 1"